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Car Lover and Filmmaker Switches to Pennzoil

OCTOBER 26, 2015

After witnessing the the performance of Pennzoil® Synthetics for himself in Airlift Drift, this car lover and film director made the switch.

Director Ozan Birön has had a passion for cars since he was a kid. He was always playing with toy cars and making them do crazy things. It wasn’t just a phase, and neither was his love of film. It only makes sense that his two passions come together in the crazy car videos he directs like Airlift Drift and BMW Ultimate Racetrack.

We recently got a chance to catch up with Ozan in his hometown of Vancouver, British Columbia, to chat about cars, check out his collection, and do our best to channel our favorite scenes from Initial D in his Toyota Corolla ae86 GTS.

Car Enthusiasts Are Switching to Pennzoil

What's it like to live and drive in Vancouver, Ozan?

It’s probably one of the worst cities for traffic on the West Coast. Lots of stop and go. Lots of gridlock. It’s pretty terrible. But, we do have an awesome road called the Sea to Sky Highway that has a bunch of beautiful winding roads along the coast and up into the mountains.

That sounds both terrible and amazing, at the same time!

It’s actually quite fun. I get to drive and get stuck in traffic, but then I get to hit the highway and then the windy roads.

Tell us more about your car and what you've done to it.

I drive a Toyota Corolla ae86. It has a lot of history behind it from Japan. It’s a classic car from Initial D [a Japanese Manga series]. Most fan boys might know about it, but it has a lot of racing heritage and it’s big in drifting culture. It’s a good all around car from the ground up if you want to get into racing and driving around and drifting. Everything is basic.

Even the engine?

No it’s not the original engine. It would’ve come with a 16 valve AG, but I’ve swapped it out with a 20 valve blacktop from Japan. It’s a 1.6-liter engine that revs at about 8,000 rpm.

What are you looking for in a motor oil for a car like this?

For picky guys like me, oil does matter. It’s everything. Fuel economy, horsepower, knowing that it’s protecting my engine. I just want to have one oil that just does everything for me and that’s what I look for.

Do you use a synthetic?

Yes, I’m using Pennzoil Ultra Platinum 5W-30. It’s designed for high performance engines. It lasts longer. It’s more durable.

How much did you know about PurePlus Technology™ before Airlift Drift?

I did not know that Pennzoil was actually made from natural gas even after doing the commercial. I learned a little bit about it and went online and read more about it. That actually also sparked my interest to try it in my car and see what it’s all about.

Let's talk more about cars and car movies. What are you looking for when you're filming a car?

I’m all about pushing cars to their max performance. Performance to me is literally seeing a car going balls out on everything; handling, driving, sound, pedal to the metal, drifting. Just seeing how a car is meant to be driven.

Do you have any favorite car flicks?

I’m really picky with how cars are actually shown. I like seeing real driving like in "Cannon Ball," "Smokey and the Bandit" and "Vanishing Point." There’s a cool little underground film called "Rendezvous" that’s pretty crazy. All one take in a classic Ferrari.

Mmmm... Ferrari! If you could have any car in the world, what would it be?

More Corollas.

As long as we can come back and experience this beast, we're cool with that.